by Rajkumar Sivapatham; published April 20, 2004
Are we getting anywhere with this peace process?
After this unwanted election, things in Sri Lanka are getting more unpredictable and funnier. The much-celebrated alliance, the UFPA, is becoming a laughing stock even before the first sitting in the parliament. The SLFP, the almost 50% partner in the UFPA, is preoccupied with changing the constitution and giving some future political life to the president. While the LTTE and Tamil bashers are trying to come to terms with the fall of highly-touted (not by Tamils) Karuna, the USA and India are breathing down the neck of the Sinhala regime to get the peace process restarted. The UFPA doesn’t have to take an absolute U-turn, if it wants to sit down with the LTTE, as it has indicated during the election campaign that it will talk to the LTTE. It appears that the UFPA is pre-occupied with other things, particularly with the changing of the constitution.
On the subject of the constitution, certain things have to be mentioned, as far as Tamils and Sri Lanka are concerned. For Tamils, every constitutional change has brought in more havoc and hardships. These changes, which were the product of Sinhalese chauvinism and lack of statesmanship, are one of the main reasons for the armed rebellion by the Tamils. With the lack of a simple majority in the parliament and the rise of Buddhist nationalism, the UFPA government will be tempted to remove whatever protection that is left for the Tamils and the other minorities. This is the only way the UFPA can get the support of the Sinhala Buddhist party to amend the constitution.
A lot of Tamils who live inside and outside of Sri Lanka are not sure that the so-called “international community” has got the clear understanding of the current dynamics. Even though the ambassadors and diplomats meet and discuss things with Tamil politicians and the LTTE, they haven’t demonstrated this understanding to Tamils yet. On the other hand, Tamils do understand what this “international community” wants. The Tamils also have some idea that how this “international community” is setting about getting what it wants. The Tamils (and the LTTE) have been expected to give up separation, armed rebellion and violence immediately.
Now, while the Tamils (and the LTTE) are prepared to examine a federal set-up within a united Sri Lanka, the “international community” should realise certain things. The main ones are: (1)the root cause for the armed struggle and (2)the Tamils (and the LTTE) will only accept the solution that outsiders are urging when there is a guarantee that they don’t have to fight in the future to protect themselves. Such a guarantee can certainly not be expected from the Sinhalese governments, given their track records. Therefore, it should be given by someone else. At the moment, only the LTTE is responsible for that guarantee. Trying to persuade the LTTE to renounce armed struggle without giving any tangible solution to the Tamils is viewed by us as irresponsible on the part of the “international community.” It is the responsibility of the TNA, the elected members of the Tamils, to get the “international community” to realise this.
Again on the subject of the constitution, any constitution should be accepted by the people it is meant to apply to. Certainly none of the Sri Lankan constitutions are (were) acceptable to Tamils in Sri Lanka.
It is not a exaggeration that the majority of the ordinary Sinhalese people reaped the benefit of any constitution. Giving Sinhala language and Buddhist religion the “foremost” place has never improved the living conditions of the Sinhalese. It pushed them into a conflict with the Tamils, the fellow citizens whether they like it or not, and their pride land went down-hill from then on. It is really sad that the educated Sinhalese and the other so called patriots in Sri Lanka don’t see it. The irony is that they are the people who support the forces in the south which want to suppress the plight of the minorities. In a funny sort of way, they are wishing for the war to start again but this time they want it to be started by the LTTE. They don’t want a ‘war for peace’ this time, but a war of aggression by the Tamils. Then, they can go to the “donor” countries to get help to “crush or pacify” the Tamil rebellion. This is the solution they have for the national problem of Sri Lanka. It is even funnier that some countries within and outside the region are prepared to buy this idea, given some of their own histories and experiences which prove how silly that idea is.
Harrow
UK.